Day Trip
by ellie28x
Summary: When a cargo pod falls from the Ark, Clarke talks Bellamy into accompanying her to its drop site.
1. Chapter 1

Small Bellarke Fic – dabble.

Clarke ducked through the entrance to the dropship, shielding her eyes from the sun as she surveyed the camp. The 100 were all about their jobs – a number of them, including Miller, Myles and Sterling, were building a third cabin out of wood, to more comfortably house the remaining members of the 100. She could also see Monty and Monroe as two of their members currently on lookout. A gun was strapped across each of their chests, and Clarke could see that both had a firm grip on their weapons. _They're scared_ she thought to herself. She couldn't see Raven or Jasper, so assumed they were together, trying, as frustrating as it is, to make more bullets. She couldn't see Finn, but he had a penance for wondering, nor could she see Bellamy, whom she was actually looking for. Lifting her hair from the nape of her neck, where it stuck with the heat, she walked out of the safety of the shaded dropship.

Bellamy had left the camp in the early hours of the morning, hoping to do a little hunting before the heat of the sun became too much for the animals. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he lowered himself onto a rock, before pulling out his water. When they had first arrived on Earth, Clarke had made sure to purify all the water they drank, however iodine drops were running low, and Bellamy figured that what with the recent grounder attacks, the chances of him dying were already pretty high. A bird flew over his head, and he watched it's progression across the sky, before wiping his mouth across the back of his hand, and re-packing his canteen. Slinging his pack across his back, he hitched up his rifle, took one last sweep around the wood, before starting the uphill trek back to camp.

Clarke saw Bellamy enter through the gates a short while later. His t-shirt clung to his body with sweat, and Clarke tried not to stare at how it hugged his arms and chest. 2 dead creatures hung from his pack, which he passed of quickly to Fox, who took them over to the meat cabin, where Clarke believed that Octavia was cutting up and salting the meat to keep it fresher. Bellamy didn't see her, and started to make his way towards his tent, before ducking inside it. Clarke moved quickly to follow him.

Bellamy ducked under the flap of his tent, tossing his gun and pack to the side. He tugged his t-shirt off over his head, before discarding it onto his bed. He sat down to take his boots off, just to have a few moments of quiet, when he heard his tent flap lift, and a familiar voice say his name.

"Bellamy," Clarke said, ducking into his tent after him. Bellamy sat on his bed topless; however he looked up on her entrance. He quirked a grin.

"Princess," he said, now not bothering to take of his boots, "can I help you with something?"

Clarke didn't like the way she reacted to seeing him topless, her body grew warmer, which, especially in this heat, wasn't a good thing.

"The Ark sent down the cargo ship," she said, trying to avert her eyes. "Jasper saw it whilst on lookout last night. It fell about 2 miles south east of here."

Bellamy found it humorous how hard Clarke was trying to avoid looking at his chest, so decided to stand up, putting himself at eye-level, trying purposely to make it awkward for her. It kind of made him happy to see how Clarke reacted to him, especially because she was one of the only girls who hadn't yet, and Bellamy thrived on a challenge.

"I take it we day tripping then Princess?" He said with a grin. Clarke rolled her eyes at him.

"Get changed," she said, "we're leaving in 10 minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Points for ****Kass Morgan – a small section of this chapter was taken from the 100 novel, I can't take credit for it all. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

15 minutes later, a scowling girl and a smirking boy left the 100's camp. Bellamy purposely hung back, walking 1 or 2 meters behind Clarke, humouring himself, trying to tempt a rise out of her. But also he liked to watch her from behind. It had been a long time since Bellamy had let himself relax, let himself think about anything other than the well-being of his people. He was now bored, tired of being responsible, and because of his weeks of strong leadership, baiting Clarke was going to be his reward.

Clarke knew Bellamy was trying to annoy her, and she tried her best to not let it get under her skin. They walked steadily for about an hour, climbing at a slight incline. They stopped at the top of a hill overlooking a valley, under the shade of a large leafy tree. A small stream ran past them, and Clarke, after depositing her pack on the floor, cupped her hands in it and, raising it to her lips, took a large gulp. She repeated the motion, but instead poured it over her face and neck, trying to minimise the effects of the growing heat.

"Down there." Bellamy said, pointing down into the valley. Quizzically, Clarke brushed her hair of her forehead, where it clung with beads of water, and followed the direction he was pointing in. She could just make out an outline of some smouldering objects, their obviously metal surfaces glinting in the early afternoon sun.

"Good," Clarke said, getting to her feet, "let's get moving then." She shouldered her pack, and started down the slope, knowing without hesitation that Bellamy would follow her.

After a time, Bellamy's shirt began sticking to his chest with sweat, it was an unpleasant feeling. Pausing briefly, Bellamy dropped his pack and tugged his shirt over his head. He tied the loose fabric onto the straps of his pack before walking on.

Clarke haltered at the edge of the tree line, pausing to scan the clearing for potential threats.

"I think it's clear," she said, turning over her shoulder to speak to Bellamy. She blanched when she saw his bare chest. The lines of it were smooth and unscathed, his muscles well looked after and his skin a tanned bronze all over...

"Princess?" Bellamy asked a grin notable in his tone. Clarke swallowed

"I'd recommend putting your shirt back on."

"Why? Are you worried you won't be able to control yourself? Because if you're concerned about my virtue, I have to tell you, I'm not –"

"I meant," she cut him off with a small smile, "there are some poisonous plants out here that could make that pretty back of yours erupt with pus filled boils."

He shrugged. "For all I know, that might be your thing, Princess. I'll take my chances." Clarke laughed, and Bellamy felt his heart grow warm, and he couldn't help smiling back at her.

The 2 of them walked briskly from the tree line, Bellamy swinging his arms with ease. An array of metal containers were scattered around a broken metal cargo pod, scorched black in places from its fiery landing. Clarke scanned the boxes, looking at the symbols on the front, trying to find anything of importance.

"Clarke!" Bellamy said from a few meters away, "I think I've found something." Clarke turned at the sound of Bellamy's voice, and crouched down next to him. Her heart soared when she recognized the familiar symbol on the front – the red cross of medical equipment. She clawed at the container in desperation, but the heat of the landing had melted the lock shut. "Here let me," Bellamy said, drawing a knife from his pocket. He slowly worked at the lid, prying at it, until it cracked open. Filled with sudden energy, Clarke leapt on the contents of the box, mentally listing its contents, her hope and happiness rising with each object. _Sterile bandages, needles, tourniquets, medicines, and even a few precious jars of Universal Antidote. _With a cry, she stood up, Bellamy rising with her.

"Bellamy look," she said, pleasure written all over her face. Bellamy looked a little baffled. "This is everything, everything I could have asked for! I can keep our people alive!" She flung herself at Bellamy, wrapping her arms tight around his neck, not caring that they were both sweaty from a day's walks. Bellamy instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, steadying her at first, but her happiness was contagious, so, with a laugh, he lifted her from her feet, spinning her in a circle.

He placed her feet firmly back onto the floor, both of them breathing heavily. Clarke's head rested against his bare chest, and Bellamy felt a strange stirring inside of him. He tightened his hold on Clarke, and she looked up at him. In Bellamy's mind that moment was perfect – her head lifted, their eyes met, and his heart stopped beating. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took me a few days to post this, I dance on weekday nights so never have time.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

This was a dangerous outcome to have achieved, and was not his aim when he started playing this game. Baffled and confused, Bellamy bent his head, slowly easing his grip on Clarke. She pulled away ever so slightly, so that he was left with one hand on her hip. Bellamy grinned softly at the floor, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"We should get going," Clarke said quietly, "It will be dark soon."

"Um...Yeah," Bellamy said, "I'll carry the box."

The 2 walked back to camp in near silence. Bellamy's thoughts were still racing. _Did you really just feel that? _This was not good. His aim had been to get Clarke to want him, not the other way round. He watched her walk from a few steps behind, her reddish blonde hair sticking to the back of her neck, and her jacket tied round her waist, showing her smooth tanned shoulder blades. Bellamy looked at his boots. He needed to get this girl out of his head and fast, because Clarke Griffin would never be just a fling, and Bellamy Blake could never be a boyfriend.

Bellamy was deep in thought behind her, and it was starting to annoy Clarke. He had been sullen ever since their moment back at the cargo pod. She remembered his arms around her, strong and steady, and for the first time since arriving on earth, her thoughts were clear. Who would've thought, that the boy she had been at odds with for weeks after their arrival, had turned out to be one of the only people who could give her comfort. Sure there was Finn, however since Raven's appearance; she didn't feel comfortable going to him with her problems, even if they had technically broken up. She had come to rely heavily on Bellamy's presence, not realizing until now. He was always there, every time she needed support, needed some to catch her if she fell, someone to steady her hand, someone to make the difficult choices for her – like torturing Lincoln. She couldn't jeopardize that. So what had almost happened at the cargo pod, how close she had come to raising on her toes to meet his lips with hers, that couldn't happen again. To save what she needed, Clarke would have to sacrifice what she wanted.

Darkness was just starting to creep over the mountains as they arrived back at camp. Bellamy watched Clarke as she took the box from him and carried it into the dropship, which acted as an infirmary. He was stood awkwardly for a few moments staring at the place Clarke had disappeared, before Miller approached him.

"Bellamy?" He said, and Bellamy turned at the sound of his voice.

"Miller," he replied, "what's up?"

"We had to delay the building of the third cabin as we ran out of logs, and I didn't want to go and get any more until either you or Clarke was back."

"Good call," Bellamy said, shooting a grin at the boy next to him, "who knows what the kids would get up to without a figure of responsibility." Miller laughed with him. "Take a few strong hands, no more than 6, stay together, don't take Octavia, I don't trust her at the moment, and don't take Jasper."

"Jasper?" Miller replied questioningly, "but he's one of our best shots." Bellamy was already shaking his head.

"Jasper is unstable at the moment, I don't trust his reactions, and fear to think what would happen if he encountered any Grounders."

"Ok, you're the boss." Miller said, before turning to round up some people. Bellamy's mind was elsewhere, so he didn't see who. He was scanning the camp, looking for someone. He saw Monty leave the tent where he and Raven kept the communications equipment, and with a knowing smile, set of in that direction.

"There you go," Clarke said with a smile, after wrapping Myles's hand up in clean bandages. The young boy had cut it earlier whilst building the cabin. She turned her back on him to wash her hands in a bowl of Monty's moonshine, hearing him leave behind her.

"Clarke?" She recognized Octavia's voice behind her, she must have come in as Myles left, "can I have a moment." Drying her hands, Clarke turned to face the younger Blake.

"Sure O, what's up?"

"Nothing really, I was just wondering if you had a moment to look at this rash on the back of my leg."

"Sure," Clarke said, patting the bed besides her. Octavia laid down on her back, and Clarke rolled her trouser leg up to just above her knee.

"So had did your trip with Bell go?" She said from her position below Clarke.

"Good thanks," Clarke said, examining the redness on the Octavia's leg, "we found the cargo pod, and we brought back a crate of medicine. We couldn't carry the rest so Bellamy said he would organize a group of people to go back in the morning to collect the rest."

"That's good," Octavia replied, pausing hesitantly, "you haven't seen Bellamy since returning have you?"

"No why?" Clarke looked up, confusion masking her features.

"No reason," the dark haired girl replied quickly. Clarke shot her a look, but the others girls face was straight. She returned her attention to Octavia's leg.

"Just as I thought," she said finally, rolling her trouser leg down, "it's just a heat rash, O. Try and keep it clean and cool with water." Octavia smiled and swung her legs down.

"Thanks Clarke," Octavia said ducking out of the dropship. Clarke frowned. What had the other girl been talking about? Wiping her hands on a piece of cloth, she followed Octavia. She glanced around the camp, but couldn't see Bellamy anywhere.

"Princess?" Said Finn's voice by her side.

"Hey Finn, you haven't see Bellamy have you?" Finn let out an exasperated sigh. Confused, Clarke turned towards him.

"Yeah," he said sounding deflated, "saw him going into Raven's tent not too long ago." Clarke's confusion grew.

"Why?" She asked

"Why do you think, Princess?" Finn replied bitterly, "Raven wants her re-bound and Bellamy isn't picky." Clarke let Finn's words wash over her before finally sinking in. Then her head began to spin, and the ground fell from beneath her feet.


	4. Chapter 4

Bellamy rolled into a sitting position, putting his elbows onto his knees He had pulled on his trousers and boots, but his chest remained bare. He could here Raven breathing steadily behind him, and he sighed. Sleeping with her hadn't acted as a deterrent to his surge of feelings for Clarke – worse, it had intensified them. His actions had just left him feeling sad, lonely, and guilty as hell. He pulled on his shirt, moving slowly and quietly in order not to wake a sleeping Raven, before slipping on his jacket, and ducking out of her tent. The first person he saw was Finn, who was glaring at him from across the camp. Bellamy ignored him; he didn't have time to attempt to smooth Finn's ruffled feathers. Nobody else seemed to realise Bellamy's exit from a tent that wasn't his own, so he was thankful of that. He scanned the camp for Clarke, almost instinctively, and saw her exiting through the gate unaccompanied, with neither weapon nor pack. Bellamy frowned, what on earth was she doing? He jogged after her, forgetting the he himself also had neither weapon nor pack, just drawn automatically into following Clarke.

Clarke wound through the trees. It didn't take long to realise that Bellamy was following her, the older boy was running to catch up, causing him to make noise in the shrubbery. She didn't want to speak to him. She still felt nauseous when she thought about last night, her head still span.

"Clarke!" Bellamy called out behind her. "Clarke!"

"Go away Bellamy!" She shouted, without looking over her shoulder.

"Wait up! What's wrong?"

"Nothing Bellamy! Just leave me alone."

"Clarke wait," Bellamy said, finally catching up with her, he moved to grab her arm.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, glaring at him and pulling her arm away, before stamping of through the woods. Confused, Bellamy paused for a moment before following her.

"Clarke what' wrong?" Clarke ignored him. "Clarke tell me," he pleaded, "I can't do anything to help unless you tell me what's wrong." She whirled on him.

"You can't do anything to help. All you can do is hurt the people around you whilst you fight some stupid internal battle and fuck around with everybody else's feelings." Bellamy blanched, he hadn't expected that.

"Whoa, easy Clarke," he said, holding his hands up in surrender, "what have I done?"

"What haven't you done?" She shouted, stepping even closer, and meeting his gaze. She didn't know why she was letting it upset her so much.

"Clarke, calm down, why are you fighting, I thought we had overcome that pettiness, thought we'd built a quality relationship."

"Yep, so did I," she spat bitterly, "but I guess I was wrong. There's a very simple reason why quality relationships are scarce: we live in a fallen world, and it sucks." She span on her heel and started to walk away.

"Clarke," he said, catching her arm, before a blinding white pain slashed across his head, and he fell, Clarke's scream carrying him into unconsciousness. His last image before darkness was Clarke crumpling next to him, a dark figure stood above.

Clarke's eye's fluttered as she came to consciousness. Her head was on fire. She remembered the man, seeing him standing over Bellamy's lifeless body, holding the thick branch, now painted red with Bellamy' blood. _Bellamy!_ She thought, terrified, she moved to sit up, however her vision span and she lay back down quickly. The room she was in was dark, and she couldn't make out the shapes around her. Breathing slowly, she tried to quiet it down, straining her ears to try and hear Bellamy's breathing.

"Clarke?" A voice croaked from the opposite direction, and Clarke turned over, squinting into the darkness until she made out the lying form of Bellamy next to her.

"Bellamy," she said softly.

"You ok?" he said, his voice sounding stiff and quiet. Clarke nodded, before realising that he couldn't see her. A tear slipped down her check. "Clarke?"

"I'm fine." She answered

"Good." He replied, sincerity underlying his tone. They were quiet for a moment, and Clarke could hear him breathing.

"I saw you go with Raven last night, I saw you leave her tent this morning," she whispered, unsure that Bellamy would even hear her. He breathed deeply.

"Clarke," he finally whispered, and more tears slipped from her eyes when she heard him whisper her name. "That's why you were mad?" She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"I know I have no right to be…." She began

"If anyone has right to be its you." Bellamy interrupted his voice still hoarse. Clarke looked up to watch his unmoving figure.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday," he breathed out slowly, as if just talking took effort, "at the cargo pod. The moment we shared. It scared me." Clarke smiled through her tears.

"It scared me too."

"I wasn't allowed to feel that way."

"Why?" Bellamy paused before answering.

"Because you don't feel that way." Clarke's heart melted with his words.

"Bellamy…" she breathed, but he cut her off.

"I was sad and I was lonely."

"You don't have to be," Clarke whispered. There was a brief silence, and Clarke thought Bellamy hadn't heard her.

"Perhaps our loneliness can only be filled with the best of human love." Clarke's eye's grew misty again.

"Bellamy," she said, and felt him shift toward her, "can you reach me?"

Bellamy heaved a shaky breath, before stretching his arm across the stone floor. He felt his fingers brush against Clarke's and he smiled. They left them there, with just their fingertips touching, until they both fell back into unconsciousness.

The next time Bellamy opened his eyes, the room was flooded with light, and he was being roughly shaken. Grounders. He pushed himself onto his elbows and the Grounder leaning over him stood up. 2 more stood in a doorway.

"Good, you're awake." A female voice said. Bellamy turned, and saw a young Grounder women standing in front of him. Panicking, Bellamy turned to look for Clarke, but saw that the space next to him was now unoccupied.

"Where's Clarke," He shouted, rounding on the Grounder women, whom seemed to be the one in charge, "what have you done to her?" The Grounder smiled slowly, and Bellamy's blood ran cold.

"Clarke's the least of your worries," she replied, "I'd be more worried about yourself if I were you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have been rather ill, hopefully the next chapter will make up for it though. **

"Where are we going?" Clarke asked defiantly, pulling on the restraints that bound her wrists. The Grounders who were leading her through the woods said nothing, but then Clarke hadn't really expected an answer. They had been walking since sunrise, and, from the position it was at now, Clarke would estimate it to be just after noon. She blew a wisp of hair at of her face, glaring at the back of the Grounder in front of her. Her top was sticking to her with sweat, and her legs grew weary, but she wouldn't let them see her weaknesses. She looked back over her shoulder, past the Grounder who stood there, back the way they had come, and thought, not for the first time since they left, about Bellamy. Was he ok? Was he even still alive? Her eyes started stinging with the beginnings of tears but she blinked them away with determination. Crying would get her nowhere. The Grounder leading her pulled on the rope that bound her wrists, tugging her back to front. Scowling, she gritted her teeth and trudged on, biding her time, planning her escape. This time the prince wasn't round to save her, so the princess would have to save herself.

…...

"Eat something," said the Grounder leader, dropping a bowl onto the floor next to his chair. Bellamy lifted his head from his hands and looked up at the Commander. She had tanned skin, with freckles across the bridge of her nose, and dark brown hair, adorned with several braids. Bellamy met her gaze, before looking back at his boots.

"I'm not hungry."

"Don't be ridiculous." Bellamy looked up again.

"Where's Clarke?" He asked defiantly. The Grounder paused before replying.

"Eat," she said, pushing the bowl towards him, "you need to keep up your strength." She turned to leave, and Bellamy rose quickly to his feet.

"Wait," he said, following behind her. "Why are you keeping me here?" The Commander looked backed at him, pausing briefly.

"There are people who live in the mountains," she answered, meeting his gaze, "evil people, who do evil deeds. They came to us, generations ago, with weapons of steel and gasses of poison that made our throats close. They were taking members of our village's hostage, we do not know why. They even took the children, we couldn't let it continue. Our Commander at the time, she made a treaty with the Commander of the Mountain Men, they would stop harvesting our villages to the ground, and in return, we could choose 10 people a year to sacrifice to them, but we could choose the old, or the terminally sick." She smiled at Bellamy, "Or even those we find in the woods." Bellamy's blood ran cold.

"Clarke…?" He started

"….Was number 10 for the year." The Commander finished, turning away from him to continue through the door.

"And me….?"

"….number 1 next year."

"You told me your story, not out of the goodness of your heart," Bellamy spat bitterly, "but because it doesn't matter what you tell a dead man."

The Commander paused before replying, "You are correct."

…...

The Grounders escorting Clarke stopped for a drink. Before reaching for their canteens, they tied the rope the bound Clarke's wrists around a nearby tree. They turned their backs on her to drink. Clarke looked around frantically for something she could use as a weapon, a sharp stick or broken bit of rock. She saw a broken piece of flint, and, keeping her eyes on the backs of the 2 Grounders, she slowly knelt to the floor, and picked up the piece of stone. Holding it between her knees, she slowly started to saw through the rope binding her hands, continuously shooting glances at the Grounders – they would only continue drinking for so long. Sawing frantically, Clarke breathed with relief when she finally felt the rope give. Flexing her wrists, Clarke tucked the flint up her sleeve, before picking up a large, heavy rock. Holding it in her fist, she crept slowly towards the 2 Grounders. Adjusting her grip, she raised the rock high, before bringing it down on the head of the first Grounder. They slumped, falling unconscious, however the second turned towards her rising to her feet. Clarke swung the rock again; however the Grounder caught her wrist. Clarke cried out, dropping the rock. The Grounder swung his other arm up, wrapping his hand around Clarke's throat, cutting of her air. Clawing at the hand, Clarke struggled for breath, stumbling as the Grounder forced her back into a tree. His grip tightened, lifting Clarke onto her toes. Letting her arm relax, she let the piece of flint in her sleeve fall into her palm. Losing her breath rapidly, she tightened her grip, before stabbing the piece of flint into the side of the Grounder's neck. He cried out, dropping Clarke. She rolled away, gasping for breath. The Grounder slowly gripped the piece of flint, pulling it from the side of his neck, before throwing it aside. Meeting Clarke's gaze, he started towards her. Clarke scrambled backwards, still gasping for breath. The Grounder reached for her, gripping both his hands in her jacket. Pulling her to her feet, Clarke kicked out, trying to strike his legs, but he side-stepped her attempts easily. He pulled her close, so that Clarke had to turn her face away. Something hard hit her hip bone, and she cast her gaze down to see what it was. It was the handle of a dagger. Reaching forward, she wrapped her hand around the hilt. The Grounder threw her then, and she tumbled down the low gully behind them. The action resulted in Clarke drawing the dagger from its sheath, which she tucked beneath her as she fell. The Grounder followed her down. Clarke tightened her grip on the weapon, listening to his footfalls. When he got to Clarke, and moved to turn her over, Clarke stuck upwards with her dagger, watching as it sunk into the Grounders chest.

Shaky and sticky with sweat, Clarke pushed herself to her feet. With the back of her hand, she brushed her hair out of her eyes, before stumbling down the gully, in the vague direction of home.

….

Bellamy sat in his cell grudgingly yanking on the chain that bound his ankle to the wall. He wasn't going down like this, he was Bellamy Blake, he had single-handedly raised his illegal sister for 16 years, he had fought his way onto the dropship, he was stubborn, foolhardy, and was not going to let some Grounder bitch and her village people sacrifice him to some quacks who lived in the hills. He shook the chains, pissed off. He raised his head when he heard voices outside his cell, but soon relaxed when he realised they weren't for him. Creeping towards the wall, he gripped the metal hoop which was soldered to the rock. He could only fit 2 fingers through the space, which did not give him enough strength to pull it. Frustrated, he withdrew his fingers, changing his tactic to twisting the loop, trying to work it free. This worked just as ineffectively. Giving up, he rammed his fist into the wall, crying out as a sharp pain ran up his knuckles. Slumping back against the wall, he let his head fall back, cradling his injured hand. He heard the metallic rattle that meant someone was at the door to his cell, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of opening his eyes; he didn't want them to know he was scared – not only for himself now, but for the well-being of his people. What would they do if both he and Clarke died? He heard the door groan on its hinges as it was pushed open, and he felt a presence stand over him. There was a pause, before he heard the movement of clothes, and he felt the person draw closer. He opened one eye. Bellamy recognised the person crouched next to him, key in hand, quickly inserting it into the lock.

"Lincoln." He croaked, throat dry. The other man turned slightly to meet his gaze.

"Bellamy," he nodded, "hold on, we'll get you out of here." Bellamy's head rolled back.

"We'll?"

"Yes we'll." Said a voice from the doorway, and Bellamy turned towards it, meeting a familiar stormy gaze.

"Octavia," Bellamy whispered, and she smiled.

"Hello, big brother."


	6. Chapter 6

A flask of water was pressed against Bellamy's lips, and he slowly raised his hand to take it. After drinking steadily for a few mouthfuls, he stopped, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked up at his sister. Octavia Blake looked more and more like a Grounder every single day, with her dark hair pulled back, and braided. Gone was the sweet little girl Bellamy had raised on the ark, and in her place was a stubborn, brave and fearless person, who could take care of herself – she reminded Bellamy of himself. He took another swig, before passing the flask back to Octavia.

"Thanks O," he said, and Octavia smiled at him.

"What are sisters for?" She quipped back, making Bellamy grin. He pulled himself to his feet, as Octavia turned away, giving him a full view of Lincoln – Octavia's boyfriend? Bellamy didn't know quite how to distinguish him. He felt mildly nauseous when he looked at Lincoln, knowing what he had done to him; even more so when he saw the scar on his hand, where he had stubbed him with the screw. Lincoln saw him looking and met his gaze, not challenging him, just meeting him as an equal. Bellamy raised his chin ever so slightly, not willing to submit. They stayed like that, the 2 men, the rebel and the grounder, until Octavia stood between them, her back to Lincoln.

"Shall we go?" Both boys nodded. Bellamy distinctly noted how she put her back to Lincoln and not him, clearly showing, even if it were unconsciously, that she trusted Lincoln more, and it broke his heart. He shouldered the pack that O had brought him, before casting a glance into the trees – the sun had almost set.

"Yeah," he said, "let's get back quick, and then we can come back out with a team to rescue Clarke."

….

Clarke pushed her hair out of her eyes, bending over to gasp for breath. She had been walking for what felt like hours. Her hair clung to her beck and face with sweat, her clothes were torn from the brambles, and her arms and face were streaked with dirt. A cut on her forehead was matted with dried blood, and stung badly – the doctor side of her brain told her to treat if before it became infected, however her logical side argued that if she didn't get home soon, she would die. She didn't have a drink, or anything to eat – she had lost her pack at the Grounder camp, before they had taken her. She had to make it back to camp before the sun set, so that she could return out with a team to find Bellamy. Wiping her arm across her forehead, she stumbled on.

After a few minutes, Clarke reached a low gully that she thought she recognised from hunting trips. Stopping at the top, she scanned the ground at the bottom, looking for the familiar small brook that meant she was close to camp. She strained her neck, _there! _ she thought, _that may be it. _She leant out further to get a better look, before a rock beneath her foot slipped, and she fell to the ground, crying out. Scrambling for a handhold, Clarke began to slide slowly down the slope, her feet slipping on the shingles. She hit the bottom with a hard thud, her head hitting a rock, and, as pain enveloped her head, the darkness closed in on her.

….

Bellamy watched as Octavia walked on ahead with Lincoln, there strides matching perfectly – he smiled sadly at that, but he was glad his sister was happy, even if he didn't full approve of her choice of companions. They had been walking for some time, Bellamy had lost track, and he was vaguely starting to recognise his surroundings, a tree here, and a rock there, things from his hunting trips.

Their little band of travellers stopped at a small brook to have a drink, and Bellamy knew that they had to follow the water a short way, until they reached a tree that was safe to climb across. Bellamy dropped his pack, crouching down to scoop some water from the stream, which he slowly raised to his mouth, before gulping it down steadily. The icy cold water soothed his dry throat, and, once he had quenched his thirst, he scooped up more water to pour over his head, and to wipe across his sweaty neck. This helped to cool him down, although he soon regretted it as it left his shirt damp with beads of water. The sounds of movement behind him alerted him that Lincoln and Octavia were preparing to move, and he bent down to collect his pack. Lincoln led their merry procession, with Bellamy in the middle, and Octavia at the back – Bellamy didn't fully trust him to lead them home safely, but he thought that treating Lincoln pleasantly was the least his sister deserved, so he let the walking arrangements slide.

Lincoln led them silently through the trees, never making a sound, or even causing the leaves to rustle. Octavia was almost as quiet, clearly she had had some practice sneaking round the woods. The followed the brook for a short while, and it was quite pleasant as the spray from it acted as a nice repellent to the heat. He didn't here Octavia sneak up to his side, and tried to refrain from jumping when she spoke at his elbow.

"So what happened?" She cast her voice low so Lincoln couldn't hear. Bellamy looked sideways at her.

"A Grounder attacked us in the woods, knocked us both unconscious, and I woke up in a dark room." He decided to leave out the conversation between him and Clarke. _"Bellamy…." He heard her breathe his name. "I was sad and I was lonely." "You don't have to be." _"When I woke up, Clarke was gone." He looked down at Octavia, whose big blue eyes were tilted up at him. "The Grounder women said something about these people, who live in the mountains and how they arranged to sacrifice 10 people a year to these 'Mountain Men' in order to save their villages. I was going to be taken to them, but you showed up, O, unfortunately, Clarke wasn't so lucky."

"Bellamy…" Octavia started, but was cut off by Lincoln.

"I'm afraid that if Clarke has been taken to the Mountain Men, you will not see her again." Fury rose in Bellamy's mind, and his vision turned red. He jogged to catch up with the other boy, and grabbed the neck of his shirt, spinning him around.

"What the hell does that mean?" Lincoln looked calmly down at him, as he was a few inches taller and slowly wrapped his hands around Bellamy's and pulled them off of his shirt.

"I mean," he said calmly, as if talking to a child, "that none of those who have been given to the Mountain Men, have ever been seen again."

"But it will be different for Clarke." Said Octavia, coming up behind Bellamy, "she's so strong." Lincoln looked at her.

"I hope, for your sake, that you are correct." He moved to turn away, but Bellamy caught his arm.

"Hey," he said, "we will find her again, we have too."

"Bell…"

"No, O" he said, raising his voice, " we have to find her, we have to…" his voice broke on the last word, and he sunk to his knees, lowering his head to his hands.

"Bell," Octavia said, crouching down next to him. Bellamy looked up, ignoring Octavia, but instead looking to Lincoln for reassurance.

"The Mountain Men are predators," Lincoln said, as if sensing that he had pushed Bellamy to hard, "Predators prey on gentleness, peace, calmness, sweetness and any positivity that they sniff out as weakness. Anything that is happy and at peace they mistake for weakness. The truth is that predators have no strength and no courage. I have lost many a friend over the fact that when they attempt to rip me, they can't." He sighed, pausing before continuing, "from what I have seen of your friend Clarke, she is strong, she my yet pull through."

"She's not just my friend…" Bellamy said, before cutting off.

"Bell?" Octavia said. Bellamy looked up, again choosing to meet Lincoln's gaze.

"To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable, and to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength." Bellamy heaved a sigh, choosing now to stare at the floor instead. Hs hands shook where they were sat in his lap.

"You love her," Octavia said softly, "don't you?" Bellamy didn't reply. Octavia reached out and took one of his hands. "Bell?" Bellamy's voice cracked.

"I can't control it," he cried out, exhaustion, frustration and worry all kicking in, "I can't help it, and now I am never going to see her again. Dam it!" he shouted, pulling his hand from Octavia's, "why here? Why now? Of all the girls on the Ark, it had to be this one, I just can't….can't control it." Bellamy allowed his to drop again. There was a long pause before Lincoln answered.

"In my village," he said slowly, "there is a saying." Bellamy looked up at him. "It's not that you should never love something so much that it can control you. It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled. It's not a weakness. It's your best strength." Bellamy looked at Octavia, and saw a single tear fall down her cheek, before he turned back to Lincoln.

"I need to get her back," he said with clear clarity. Lincoln nodded.

"I know."

…

When Clarke woke up, she was being cradled in somebodies arms. Panicking, she reclined her head back, trying to get a look at who was carrying her, instead, she was meet with a steady pair of familiar brown eyes.

"Finn," she breathed slowly, relief spreading through her. He grinned down at her.

"Hey, Princess," he said, "just hold on ok, we're almost home." Clarke let her head fall back, and she saw the familiar metal gates of their camp. She turned back to look at Finn.

"Bellamy?" She whispered. Finn looked grim, before shaking his head.

"Sorry, Princess," he said, "we haven't found him." Clarke curled in on herself, pain throbbing in her chest. She let her head fall away from Finn, hiding her face against his chest. It was there, against the chest of the boy who loved her, that she let the tears fall for a boy that never would.


	7. Chapter 7

**As a treat for you lovely people who wait so patiently for me to update, even when my life gets so hectic that it ends up being ages (like this update), I have branched out, adding parts of the story from other character's perspectives. Hope you enjoy**

Bellamy, Lincoln and Octavia reached the camp just as day was beginning to break. The gates were closed when he arrived, but he knew that whoever was on lookout would see them coming.

"Open the gate!" He heard being shouted from inside, and as Bellamy limped forward with exhaustion, Jasper, Miller and Monty ran out to great them. Monty took Bellamy's satchel, as Jasper and Miller lifted his arms around their shoulders to support him into the camp. Bellamy waved them off once he was through the gate. He caught Miller's arm.

"Clarke," he croaked. Miller smiled slightly and nodded, and Bellamy became confused. "She's still missing."

"No," Miller answered, but an odd expression still painted his features.

"Miller?" Bellamy asked, "You found Clarke?"

"Finn brought her in last night." Bellamy tried to ignore the knot in his stomach, growing with Miller's every word.

"Miller," Bellamy said, drawing himself to his full height, putting an air of authority behind his words, "where's Clarke?" A pained look flashed across Miller features.

"She's alive, Bell," he replied softly and relief flooded through him, "this way." Miller turned his back on Bellamy, making his way towards the drop ship. Bellamy followed closely on his heels. Miller reached the sheet, acting as a make-shift door, and lifted it to allow Bellamy to duck underneath. Clarke lay on a pallet, her blonde hair splayed around her head, which was cradled in Finn's lap. Beside Clarke, he was the only one in the room.

….

Finn looked up when he heard the flap lift, and saw Miller come in with Bellamy a few steps behind him. He flicked his hair slightly, allowing a guarded look to settle over his features. He wasn't going to let the other boy see his pain – the whole camp knew that Finn Collins and Bellamy Blake didn't really see eye to eye. Particularly when it came to the Grounders, or their people, but especially when it came to Clarke. Finn remembered how scared he had felt when he saw Clarke's dirty and blood stained body at the bottom of the ravine, choking back a sob as the horrifying thought came to mind, that Clarke hadn't survived the fall. His eyes followed Bellamy as he came closer, discarding his gun and his pack, and crouching down softly next to Clarke.

"Clarke," he breathed so softly that Finn almost missed it. He heard Miller leave, but didn't take his eyes of Bellamy. He knew how the other boy felt about Clarke, even before Bellamy knew it himself, he saw it coming from a mile away, but he had never seen it so clearly written on his face as he did at this moment. He thought what they could've gone through. They had been gone for 3 days, and he could see how much Bellamy had been worrying in the way he crouched protectively over Clarke. Bellamy reached forward to slowly brush a piece of hair of Clarke's forehead, before Finn interrupted.

"She hasn't woken up," he said, causing the boy to start, and look up at him, "not once since I brought her home." Confusion flooded his features.

"What's wrong with her?" Finn shrugged.

"I don't know," he said, "exhaustion, concussion – I'm not Clarke, I'm no medic."

"Nobody's Clarke." Bellamy breathed, and Finn cast another glance at him. Bellamy had never openly shown any of his feelings in front of anyone, and Finn thought he would've been the last to receive them. He slowly stroked his free hand through Clarke's hair, ignoring the other boy's look. Clarke stirred beneath him. Both the boys were next to her – Finn bent over her head, whilst Bellamy took hold of one of her hands.

"Clarke?" Finn breathed. Clarke didn't move. They stayed like that, the princess, the rebel and the spacewalker, until the sun set over the mountains, and darkness enveloped them.

….

Jasper rinsed a damp rag in a bowl of water, before ringing it out, and applying it to Clarke' forehead. She had remained unconscious through the night, and at some point in the early morning, he had noted Octavia go into the dropship and kick both the boys out, demanded that they get some sleep. Jasper had taken over from Octavia about an hour ago, an odd moment of tension between them until she ran off with her Grounder boyfriend. Jasper dabbed carefully on Clarke's forehead, when she stirred under his touch, her lips parting and letting out a breath.

"Clarke?" Jasper said, withdrawing his hand. Her eyes flickered open, taking a few moments for her gaze to settle on him.

"Jasper?" she said croakily. Jasper smiled at her.

"Welcome back." Clarke's gaze flickered round the room and she looked confused.

"Where..?" She mumbled before Jasper interrupted.

"You're back at the dropship," he said, "you've been gone for almost 3 days, and then Finn brought you in the night before last."

"Finn?" Clarke replied. Jasper nodded.

"He found you at the bottom of a ravine, he said he thought you must have tripped and fell." Clarke nodded slowly.

"Yes," she murmured, "there was loose shingle at the top." Jasper smiled and pushed a damp piece of hair of Clarke's forehead. She turned to him.

"Bellamy?"

"We found him too. Lincoln took Octavia to one of the Grounder Camps, and they searched it and found Bell in one of the tents." Clarke breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is he here? Is he ok?" Jasper smiled again.

"Yeah, he is."

"Can you get him?" Jasper patted Clarke's arm gently.

"Sure," he said, before standing up and backing out of the dropship.

…...

Bellamy was in the strategy tent when Jasper found him, pouring over the maps trying to pinpoint to Miller where the Grounder camp was located. He looked up when he heard the tent flap.

"Jasper?" He said, an air to authority about his tone, "Why aren't you with Clarke?"

"She's woken up," Jasper replied, "she's asking for you." Bellamy felt a kick in his stomach, and tried to keep himself from grinning. He nodded to Jasper, before turning to Miller.

"Nobody knows," he said, turning back to Jasper, "not yet. I want to talk to her before the camp knows she's awake." The 2 boys nodded, before the 3 of them departed the tent. Miller and Jasper broke away, whilst Bellamy made a beeline for the dropship. He pushed the door flap out of the way, and ducked inside. Clarke lay still, with her eyes closed, but she opened them when she heard him approach.

"Bellamy?" she said, turning her head. He smiled softly.

"Hey, Princess," he replied, sitting down next to her. They sat there silently for a few moments, before Bellamy said, "I'm sorry I slept with Raven." Clarke met his gaze.

"I'm sorry I ran away."

"I'm not sorry that I followed." Clarke's head tilted, her eyes turning up to him.

"Bell..." she breathed.

"I'm sorry I didn't save you."

"I don't need to be saved, Bell," Clarke replied, "I'm a big girl." Bellamy grinned.

"Instinct I'm afraid." Clarke chuckled softly. There was another pause.

"I'm sorry I almost got you killed." Clarke whispered.

"You didn't Clarke, it was my choice to follow."

"Why did you follow?" Clarke said, turning to look at him.

"Because I love you." Bellamy said, lifting his head and meeting her gaze. Clarke's breath caught.

"Bellamy," she whispered, "why didn't you say anything?" He shrugged.

"Because you don't feel that way." He replied. "I was sad and I was lonely." Clarke smiled softly, remembering their conversation in the Grounder prison and, from the look on Bellamy's face, so was he. Clarke reached out and touched his hand gently.

"You don't have to be." She whispered, so quietly that Bellamy almost missed it.

"I'm not sorry for loving you." He said, "but I am sorry it took me so long to say." He bent down slowly, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He put his back to the wall, and prepared to settle down there for some time. After a few minutes, he heard Clarke speak softly next to him.

"I love you to, Bell." Bellamy grinned.

"I know, Clarke," he said, "who doesn't?"


End file.
